99 E36 M3 LSx Build
03-20-2014, 01:49 PM
#1
99 E36 M3 LSx Build Nothing earth shattering at this point in the game as there are a lot of E36 LS cars running around, but figured I'd start a build thread to share progress for any that might have been following my engine build. I will be doing my own fabrication for mounts / exhaust / etc. The car will still be a street car primarily, but I'm building it with the intention to enjoy it on the track (road course) and autox.
Engine build thread is here: https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...7ci-build.html
I bought this car locally last fall. 99 M3, southern car, no rust or other issues to speak of. The interior needs some work (dove grey ) but I'll worry about that when there's nothing else to do. Had some fun with it shaking it down before the cold weather came...the S52 was fun for a while but honestly I got used to it quickly - time for some American muscle.
Haven't made much in the way of physical progress since it's been snowing here pretty much since November, but I used the time over the winter to work out a lot of the details and get a decent portion of the parts I need "on the shelf". I hope to get the train rolling in short order here though.
_____
I cut the line off of my power steering loop and sandblasted it in preparation for welding on a -6AN fitting.
Test fit all of my adapter fittings on the ABS pump - -M10X1.0 to -3AN and M12X1.0 to -3AN. instead of splicing lines together I decided that I'm going to redo them all in stainless for corrosion resistance. I noticed a little rust coming through in areas of the original lines after 170k miles so just decided to replace them all. I know a lot of people say this but I fully intend on keeping the car for a really really long time so the extra trouble doesn't bother me. I'm going with -AN fittings because stainless doesn't take 2 operation flaring well due to work hardening. For the sake of trying to avoid cracks I'm doing a single -AN/JIC/37 degree flare. It is the MIL spec connection type for high pressure applications.
Built my steering shaft, nothing crazy
Picked up a mockup block for use with setting driveline angles / building mounts, etc. I still need to get my transmission before I do this for real, but couldn't resist throwing it in the bay. Should make for a pretty badass coffee table when this project is finished!
I also shaved all the unused brackets out of the engine bay and started stripping off the seam sealer. With all the extra power going through the car, figured it'd be a good idea to stitch weld a few of the critical areas while I'm in the middle of things. Front and rear strut towers, trans tunnel, rear subframe mounts, and RTABs are some of the areas that will get some attention.
After the sun went down I started working on converting some of my interior panels to black. After a little research I settled on SEM products to do this. I scuffed it up first with a scotch brite pad / SEM soap, wiped it clean, then wiped again with IPA and allowed to dry before painting. I applied a bunch of light coats.
Finished the center console surround - the center console piece is OEM BMW black for reference. The Satin Black I used it pretty much a spot on match in color hue - maybe a tad darker with a very slight difference in gloss level but you really have to be trying to see a difference. Not that it matters for me because everything I'll be spraying is dove grey, but figured I'd offer that for anyone looking to convert / refinish black interior pieces + match with OEM black.
More progress coming soon hopefully. Thanks for looking.
Engine build thread is here: https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...7ci-build.html
I bought this car locally last fall. 99 M3, southern car, no rust or other issues to speak of. The interior needs some work (dove grey ) but I'll worry about that when there's nothing else to do. Had some fun with it shaking it down before the cold weather came...the S52 was fun for a while but honestly I got used to it quickly - time for some American muscle.
Haven't made much in the way of physical progress since it's been snowing here pretty much since November, but I used the time over the winter to work out a lot of the details and get a decent portion of the parts I need "on the shelf". I hope to get the train rolling in short order here though.
_____
I cut the line off of my power steering loop and sandblasted it in preparation for welding on a -6AN fitting.
Test fit all of my adapter fittings on the ABS pump - -M10X1.0 to -3AN and M12X1.0 to -3AN. instead of splicing lines together I decided that I'm going to redo them all in stainless for corrosion resistance. I noticed a little rust coming through in areas of the original lines after 170k miles so just decided to replace them all. I know a lot of people say this but I fully intend on keeping the car for a really really long time so the extra trouble doesn't bother me. I'm going with -AN fittings because stainless doesn't take 2 operation flaring well due to work hardening. For the sake of trying to avoid cracks I'm doing a single -AN/JIC/37 degree flare. It is the MIL spec connection type for high pressure applications.
Built my steering shaft, nothing crazy
Picked up a mockup block for use with setting driveline angles / building mounts, etc. I still need to get my transmission before I do this for real, but couldn't resist throwing it in the bay. Should make for a pretty badass coffee table when this project is finished!
I also shaved all the unused brackets out of the engine bay and started stripping off the seam sealer. With all the extra power going through the car, figured it'd be a good idea to stitch weld a few of the critical areas while I'm in the middle of things. Front and rear strut towers, trans tunnel, rear subframe mounts, and RTABs are some of the areas that will get some attention.
After the sun went down I started working on converting some of my interior panels to black. After a little research I settled on SEM products to do this. I scuffed it up first with a scotch brite pad / SEM soap, wiped it clean, then wiped again with IPA and allowed to dry before painting. I applied a bunch of light coats.
Finished the center console surround - the center console piece is OEM BMW black for reference. The Satin Black I used it pretty much a spot on match in color hue - maybe a tad darker with a very slight difference in gloss level but you really have to be trying to see a difference. Not that it matters for me because everything I'll be spraying is dove grey, but figured I'd offer that for anyone looking to convert / refinish black interior pieces + match with OEM black.
More progress coming soon hopefully. Thanks for looking.
03-23-2014, 11:59 AM
#6
You and I are at the exact same place in our chassis prep, heh even same color car 
Mine is a 95 M3. I bought it in Pittsburgh! Small world! I have dove grey interior with vaders. I need a new drivers vader cover and foam and new grey carpet. You changing your carpet?
Mine is a 95 M3. I bought it in Pittsburgh! Small world! I have dove grey interior with vaders. I need a new drivers vader cover and foam and new grey carpet. You changing your carpet?As for the carpet, I was considering just dying it black but the jury is still out on it. It cleans up pretty good but nothing I would consider exceptional.
03-23-2014, 02:07 PM
#7
I have a 650+(ESTIMATED) HP LS3 that I am almost ready to assemble. I been building at work for months. After reading your thread I think I am going to assemble it myself. I am a 22+ year Aerospace machinist. I was going to pay the 1k to have it done until I read your post. Now I am thinking I could do it too.
I have most every tool except a dial bore mic. I see you can buy a set for 350.00 ish. Hate to spend car money on tools that I wont need after the build!
I have most every tool except a dial bore mic. I see you can buy a set for 350.00 ish. Hate to spend car money on tools that I wont need after the build!
You can probably always resell the stuff after you used it. A quality gauge is really indispensable if you plan on laying out the engine yourself. I just got the cheapo $90ish dollar one from jegs and "hotrodded" it with a high quality indicator. Works out to the same price if you have to buy an indicator but you can use that on more than just your bore gauge.
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03-23-2014, 09:54 PM
#8
Had a full weekend on the car
Removed front and rear suspensions and the gas tank, and started pressing out all the bushings / bearings from the rear suspension components. I'm going to sandblast and powdercoat all of the suspension stuff and put it back together with fresh ball joints / bearings / bushings throughout. None of that stuff was ever replaced on the car so figured I'd better go through it while it's down. Needed to remove all that stuff anyway to add all of the chassis reinforcement I have planned.
Not a whole lot left in the car aside from the interior lol.
Removed front and rear suspensions and the gas tank, and started pressing out all the bushings / bearings from the rear suspension components. I'm going to sandblast and powdercoat all of the suspension stuff and put it back together with fresh ball joints / bearings / bushings throughout. None of that stuff was ever replaced on the car so figured I'd better go through it while it's down. Needed to remove all that stuff anyway to add all of the chassis reinforcement I have planned.
Not a whole lot left in the car aside from the interior lol.
Last edited by ckpitt55; 03-23-2014 at 10:01 PM.
03-26-2014, 08:04 AM
#9
Still snowing up here so progress on the chassis hasn't been that great this week. I spent some time after work last night powdercoating a batch of parts. Couple pics below.
Rear springs, rear trailing arm brackets, rear brake caliper brackets, and rear wheel hubs. Bunch of other small parts that I sand blasted but didn't have time to coat. Everything got a zinc-rich primer and then topcoated with flat black. I'm doing most of this simply because I hate rust. I've tried POR15 and similar in the past but none of it was durable at all.
Rear springs, rear trailing arm brackets, rear brake caliper brackets, and rear wheel hubs. Bunch of other small parts that I sand blasted but didn't have time to coat. Everything got a zinc-rich primer and then topcoated with flat black. I'm doing most of this simply because I hate rust. I've tried POR15 and similar in the past but none of it was durable at all.
03-30-2014, 09:26 PM
#12
"That's badass. How do you plan on putting that down? Are you putting on flares or anything?"
I am planning on flares. My local tuner also is going to add in the wheel slip sensor and adjust it to allow a generous amount of spin before it retards itself until I come up with a suspension/tire combo that gets that maximum HP to the ground that an everyday driver can without giving up a comfortable ride.
I have decided to repaint my engine compartment now that I have removed the brackets and studs I don't need. Also I am going to have the inner fenders bed lined to seal and prevent rock chips. I had kicked around rhino lining the whole underside of the car, but I am wondering what the long term drawbacks would be.
I have a local powder coater who did my block and most of my external engine parts, he is going to do my suspension parts as well. I thought about Por15 for the suspension parts but I could use the added weight in the car however small it may be.
I too am replacing my entire brake line system, although I didn't choose Stainless in that it is a giant pain to get the bends I want to get the clean "Hidden" look I am shooting for. I opted for NiCopp instead. It is super easy to bend and never will rot. I wont be converting my fittings, I am reusing the factory fittings and just rerunning new lines. I am a little afraid of running my brake lines so close to the headers, although I know many people do it with no issues. I am going to reroute mine simply because I can at this point. While I am at it I am going to rerun my fuel supply lines and route them away from the exhaust/headers as well. Plus I want to hide whatever I can for the most clean look.
Your build is amazing and I envy your attention to detail
I am planning on flares. My local tuner also is going to add in the wheel slip sensor and adjust it to allow a generous amount of spin before it retards itself until I come up with a suspension/tire combo that gets that maximum HP to the ground that an everyday driver can without giving up a comfortable ride.
I have decided to repaint my engine compartment now that I have removed the brackets and studs I don't need. Also I am going to have the inner fenders bed lined to seal and prevent rock chips. I had kicked around rhino lining the whole underside of the car, but I am wondering what the long term drawbacks would be.
I have a local powder coater who did my block and most of my external engine parts, he is going to do my suspension parts as well. I thought about Por15 for the suspension parts but I could use the added weight in the car however small it may be.
I too am replacing my entire brake line system, although I didn't choose Stainless in that it is a giant pain to get the bends I want to get the clean "Hidden" look I am shooting for. I opted for NiCopp instead. It is super easy to bend and never will rot. I wont be converting my fittings, I am reusing the factory fittings and just rerunning new lines. I am a little afraid of running my brake lines so close to the headers, although I know many people do it with no issues. I am going to reroute mine simply because I can at this point. While I am at it I am going to rerun my fuel supply lines and route them away from the exhaust/headers as well. Plus I want to hide whatever I can for the most clean look.
Your build is amazing and I envy your attention to detail
What flares and wheel setup are you going with? I was planning on grafting on the e46 330i flares and doing 18x9.5et35 with 275/35/18 rubber in all corners.
As far as T/C, I might eventually put in racelogic or something down the road but for now I'll be regulating it via the go pedal.
I'm going to be running the TurnOne pump with their restrictor orifice. It's designed to deliver less flow than the GM pump to reduce the tendency for it to eat itself. I'm going to drill out the orifice until I get the level of assist I want.
03-30-2014, 09:30 PM
#13
Decent bit of progress this weekend.
Got the rest of my suspension bushings pressed out of the subframe and upper control arms. My front hubs / wheel bearings also need replaced but nobody carries a 46 mm socket to get them off, so those will have to wait. Hope to start getting all
this stuff blasted and powdercoated here soon. I'm doing this all myself, so it takes a lot longer - but it's also a lot cheaper.
I've been researching what I want to do with my diff, and curiosity got the best of me so I tore it apart. I'll be rebuilding it with fresh Timken bearings, new clutches/dog plates and a 3.91 gearset. The jury is still out on how I want to configure the LSD (# clutches, ramps, preload, etc.), more research to be done on that. Tear down was pretty easy except for the ring gear bolts - they were fricken TIGHT
Helical gears are cool looking
Also starting taking apart my interior today. Got the dash out so I could stuff the fusebox inside and out of the way for cleaning up / painting the engine bay. I also removed the heater core so that I can remove the carpet without cutting it to dye it black - and so it doesn't catch on fire when I do the trans tunnel and rocker seam welding.
Removed a bunch of crap
Fusebox fun
End of the night. Ready for more wire wheeling and welding.
Got the rest of my suspension bushings pressed out of the subframe and upper control arms. My front hubs / wheel bearings also need replaced but nobody carries a 46 mm socket to get them off, so those will have to wait. Hope to start getting all
this stuff blasted and powdercoated here soon. I'm doing this all myself, so it takes a lot longer - but it's also a lot cheaper.
I've been researching what I want to do with my diff, and curiosity got the best of me so I tore it apart. I'll be rebuilding it with fresh Timken bearings, new clutches/dog plates and a 3.91 gearset. The jury is still out on how I want to configure the LSD (# clutches, ramps, preload, etc.), more research to be done on that. Tear down was pretty easy except for the ring gear bolts - they were fricken TIGHT
Helical gears are cool looking
Also starting taking apart my interior today. Got the dash out so I could stuff the fusebox inside and out of the way for cleaning up / painting the engine bay. I also removed the heater core so that I can remove the carpet without cutting it to dye it black - and so it doesn't catch on fire when I do the trans tunnel and rocker seam welding.
Removed a bunch of crap
Fusebox fun
End of the night. Ready for more wire wheeling and welding.
03-30-2014, 11:59 PM
#14
Thanks man I appreciate it, sounds like you have a good plan going too. I considered Nicopp, might still end up using it if stainless turns out to be too big of a bear to work with.
What flares and wheel setup are you going with? I was planning on grafting on the e46 330i flares and doing 18x9.5et35 with 275/35/18 rubber in all corners.
As far as T/C, I might eventually put in racelogic or something down the road but for now I'll be regulating it via the go pedal.
I'm going to be running the TurnOne pump with their restrictor orifice. It's designed to deliver less flow than the GM pump to reduce the tendency for it to eat itself. I'm going to drill out the orifice until I get the level of assist I want.
What flares and wheel setup are you going with? I was planning on grafting on the e46 330i flares and doing 18x9.5et35 with 275/35/18 rubber in all corners.
As far as T/C, I might eventually put in racelogic or something down the road but for now I'll be regulating it via the go pedal.
I'm going to be running the TurnOne pump with their restrictor orifice. It's designed to deliver less flow than the GM pump to reduce the tendency for it to eat itself. I'm going to drill out the orifice until I get the level of assist I want.
04-14-2014, 03:21 PM
#18
Still workin through all the powdercoating. All the bigger suspension components are getting zinc primer > black > starlight clear coat. Time consuming but makes for a tough as nails finish. All the smaller stuff is just going to be flat black.
Got my control arms done and new ball joints pressed in.
Got my brake calipers done as well - I did these in a high temp powder. I'll be rebuilding them with fresh seals and stainless pistons - the stock ones were pitted pretty badly because of rust. Not sure how often the brake fluid was flushed prior to me owning the car.
I'm also going to be turning my own solid guide pins out of 841 bearing bronze. Lots of people seem to complain about constantly needing to clean the brass ones that are available because they aren't sealed. I'm going to extend them out to cover the full length of the pin and fit a cap to them. Just a practice piece in aluminum to verify my measurements before converting to bronze.
Did some more work on converting my interior pieces black. Gave all of these the SEM treatment, though I'll need to add some coats because the can ran out (dammit).
Got the upper rear control arm reinforcements done. Probably not necessary, but when in rome..... With 890lb/in springs in the rear I figured it wouldn't hurt.
CAD
Steel
Welded
Courtesy of this guy
Also got all the parts in for my diff build. New seals, timken bearings, and 4-clutch 3.73 from Jon @ Bimmerdiffs. Dog plates are 1.65mm each to give me reduced preload and make the lockup much more progressive than it otherwise would be. Better all round balance between putting power down and reducing its impact on handling / turn in. The cap already came machined to give me room for the 4th clutch and I got a M12 LSD case from him so I don't have to use adapter sleeves for the ring gear, which he felt was more reliable.
More to come soon.
Got my control arms done and new ball joints pressed in.
Got my brake calipers done as well - I did these in a high temp powder. I'll be rebuilding them with fresh seals and stainless pistons - the stock ones were pitted pretty badly because of rust. Not sure how often the brake fluid was flushed prior to me owning the car.
I'm also going to be turning my own solid guide pins out of 841 bearing bronze. Lots of people seem to complain about constantly needing to clean the brass ones that are available because they aren't sealed. I'm going to extend them out to cover the full length of the pin and fit a cap to them. Just a practice piece in aluminum to verify my measurements before converting to bronze.
Did some more work on converting my interior pieces black. Gave all of these the SEM treatment, though I'll need to add some coats because the can ran out (dammit).
Got the upper rear control arm reinforcements done. Probably not necessary, but when in rome..... With 890lb/in springs in the rear I figured it wouldn't hurt.
CAD
Steel
Welded
Courtesy of this guy
Also got all the parts in for my diff build. New seals, timken bearings, and 4-clutch 3.73 from Jon @ Bimmerdiffs. Dog plates are 1.65mm each to give me reduced preload and make the lockup much more progressive than it otherwise would be. Better all round balance between putting power down and reducing its impact on handling / turn in. The cap already came machined to give me room for the 4th clutch and I got a M12 LSD case from him so I don't have to use adapter sleeves for the ring gear, which he felt was more reliable.
More to come soon.
